That’s what some people say. It’s just people in tight, uncomfortable, brightly coloured shirts, running around on a space ship. It doesn’t mean anything.

Those people, are very wrong indeed.

Netflix in the UK have just dropped a metric tonne of new Star Trek content by adding every Star Trek episode ever, from every incarnation. Also, Netflix (outside the USA and Canada) have done a deal so that the new Star Trek show, Star Trek Discovery, will be shown on Netflix in 180 countries shortly after it airs on CBS in the USA.

I’ve been tempted many times over the years to buy the Next Generation DVDs and the rest, but the price has always been a bit steep. Now I’m getting my daily dose of Star Trek and I don’t have to find storage space for some more DVD box sets.

So, back to my original statement. For some people, mostly those who have never actually watched the show, and only know a little about it, they think it’s just another TV show. In some respects they’re right. It is a show that is designed to entertain. However, its creator, Gene Roddenberry, always wanted the show to do more. The original series with Kirk and Spock broke new ground several times, including the first on screen kiss between a white man and a black woman on American network television. You might say so what in 2016, but this was unheard of. And this was in 1968. That’s just five years after the Civil Rights march in Washington which led to Martin Luthor King’s famous speech. The show was also about so much more than that. It was about intolerance, hatred, racism, sexism, and so many other things, all wrapped up in a brightly coloured science fiction TV show.

Looking at it from another perspective, there are countless scientists, engineers and indeed astronauts that were inspired by the show. They went on to explore the universe, down to its smallest components and also into outer space. They believed in the underlying principle of Star Trek, where human beings are at peace with each other and their goal is to better themselves and explore the universe. A planet Earth where there was no more war or famine, disease was all but eradicated and we were united as a species.

Coincidentally, just as I was writing this post, SciFiNow asked fans to explain why they love Star Trek. I’ve added in my response below and one other from Ms Krystal which sums it up very well.

@SciFiNow It inspires, entertains and gives me hope for the future of humankind, that we can be better and look outwards to the stars.

The shows are also full of unbelievable technology, which at the time seemed ridiculous. Some of this technology has become a reality. We don’t have transporters, but how about a system that plays music on demand. Something that is voice controlled that can store music digitally on a computer file and recall it instantly. This was on Star Trek: The Next Generation decades before iTunes and digital music.

How about a small, hand-held communication device that allows you to speak to someone very far away? This was the Star Trek communicator device, that goes back to the 1960s.

How about a very small, body mounted camera, that could beam its signal back to someone else, so they could see what you were doing, without being there in person. Much like today’s body cameras worn by front line police officers, or head mounted cameras for the armed forces. This was seen in Stak Trek: The Next Generation, where Geordie beams what his visor is showing back to the bridge so they can see what he can see on a mission.

How about data pads? Tiny computers that sit on a desk? These became tablets and laptop computers. I’ve barely scratched the surface but I’m sure you get the idea.

Star Trek means a lot to some people because it’s just an entertaining show. It means so much to others because it drives them to be better, to go further, to do more, to strive for the impossible. For others it inspires them to create and for others, to turn their gaze towards the heavens and the majesty of outer space. Underneath all of it, the show rests on the core principle that human beings are united and right now, with so much chaos and despair in the world, a little bit of hope is very welcome.